1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to hearing devices (e.g., hearing aids, headsets and hands-free arrangements) and especially-made garments, and more particularly, relates to garments having wireless loopsets integrated therein for enabling persons with hearing devices to conveniently use portable electronic devices more efficiently with reduced radio interference.
2. Related Art
Clothes have always been to some extent a form of art and design, combining both color and functionality. Color is typically given to fabric, and to the resulting clothes, by dying the textile fibers. Functionality of clothes is often limited to the design and the inclusion of various materials, and elements, such as pockets or the like. For the most part, modern clothing typically includes pockets, belt loops, buttons and buttonholes, snaps, etc., and other design elements that increase its functionality.
Generally, the average person will wear a plurality of clothing articles or garments on a daily basis to which will be attached or placed in a pocket of the clothing, portable electronic devices, such as mobile phones, pagers, personal digital assistants (PDA), tape cassette players, compact disc (CD) players, MD players, DAT players, televisions, radios, clock/alarms, or some other similar mobile devices. The problem is that it is often difficult and unwieldy for people to carry various electronic devices such as mobile phones, pagers and other devices.
Smart clothing describes combining clothing with portable electronic devices. Specifically, portable electronic devices and computer technology have been incorporated into garments, such as jackets, vests, shirts or pants, so as to allow a user to better communication with others and to sense surroundings while minimizing the size of any additional portable electronic devices that the user typically carries. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,653 issued to Fitch, discloses the use of a programmable video display as incorporated into a garment such as a jacket for purposes of individual expression. U.S. Pat. No. 5,825,327 issued to Krasner, discloses the use of a GPS receiver and GPS antennas as incorporated into a garment such as a shirt or a pant for purposes of tracking the current location of the garment.
For most parts, smart clothing has been able to offer many users the added functionality of portable electronic devices. However, for people who have hearing problems and there are more 30 million hearing impaired persons in the United States alone, smart clothing has not made any in-road. Standard hearing aids may allow hearing impaired persons to listen better and communicate with others. A typical hearing aid contains an earpiece microphone, a speaker and associated processor electronics arranged to convert acoustic waves into electrical representations for amplification and subsequent conversion back into acoustic waves by the earpiece speaker to aid the hearing impaired persons. Most hearing aids feature an electromagnetic pickup coil, known as a xe2x80x9ctele-coilxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cT-coilxe2x80x9d used to pick-up electromagnetic waves via magnetic induction, typically from a speaker having a magnetic core, or magnetic induction transmitted by an induction loop, typically installed around the walls in theaters, classrooms, churches and the like. However, even if hearing aids are used by hearing impaired persons, many portable electronic devices, particularly mobile phones of cellular networks such as GSM systems, IS54 systems and PDC systems, still remain barely accessible due to radio interference and magnetic noise coupling between mobile phones and hearing aids having magnetic pickup coils.
Recent attempts to assist hearing impaired persons using mobile phones include a new product such as Nokia Wireless Loopset (manufactured by the Assignee), which is an electronic accessory utilizing induction loop built in standard hearing aids to minimize radio interference. In addition to the hearing aid, the Wireless Loopset must be worn around the neck of a hearing impaired person like a necklace or around the body like a belt. Separate wires must be required to form an induction loop and to establish connection with a mobile phone, via an activator unit. However, the Wireless Loopset can be cumbersome for everyday usage. Moreover, there are plenty of situations where hearing impaired persons do not desire to wear an electronic accessory such as the Wireless Loopset as a visible part of clothing.
Therefore, a need exists for smart clothing which incorporates the essence of Nokia Wireless Loopset into a garment for allowing hearing impaired persons to conveniently use portable electronic devices such as mobile phones and similar electronic devices. More specifically, there is a need for garments having Wireless Loopsets integrated therein for enabling persons with hearing devices such as hearing aids, headsets and hands-free arrangements to conveniently and comfortably use portable electronic devices such as mobile phones more efficiently with reduced radio interference.
Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is directed to an article of functional clothing having a wireless loopset incorporated therein for enabling persons with hearing devices to conveniently use at least one portable electronic device such as a mobile phone efficiently with reduced radio interference. One or more electrically conductive fibers are integrated or sewed into a garment such as a jacket, a vest, a shirt or a pant in a predetermined pattern to form an induction loop. An activator unit is then arranged at a predetermined location on the induction loop to establish electrical connection and thus activate the induction loop, and to provide an interface to at least one portable electronic device.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrically conductive fibers may contain a metallic material, a semi-metallic material, a semi-insulative material, a semi-conductive material, a transparent conductive material, pieces of metal showered to the fiber or any other fiber material that provides sufficient current to create an electromagnetic field. More specifically, each conductive fiber may consist of a central metallic core composed of an electrically conductive material, and an insulative overcoat composed of an insulative material. The electrically conductive material may contain one of a metallic material, a semi-metallic material, a semi-insulative material, a semi-conductive material, a transparent conductive material and any other fiber material that provides sufficient current to induce induction coupling between the garment and a hearing device.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the activator unit may contain a power source; a microphone; required processor electronics, and one or more interfaces which provide appropriate connection to close the induction loop and to the portable electronic device, via either a transmission wire/fiber or wireless transmission. Such an activator unit may also include a fastening device, such as a metallic button, a pin, a snap, a hook, and a zipper with conductive teeth for data/power connection, arranged to close the induction loop.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process of fabricating smart clothing. Electronically conductive fibers are integrated into a garment in a certain pattern to form an induction loop. An activator unit is formed at a certain location on the induction loop to establish electrical connection and activate the induction loop, and to provide an interface to at least one portable electronic device.
The present invention is more specifically described in the following paragraphs by reference to the drawings attached only by way of example.